Forty-six hours after Thursday night’s setback, the Hawaii basketball team will run it back when it plays host to Cal State Fullerton tonight in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
For the second consecutive homestand, the visiting team will have a full week between games.
“We gave the guys some time to recuperate and rest and get ready for what’s coming,” CSUF coach Dedrique Taylor said. “We’ve done that in the weight room and done that by staying off our legs, but also conditioning and doing some things I think will be beneficial for us down the home stretch.”
After exiting into the remnants of a state-wide storm on Thursday night, the ’Bows used Friday’s practice to reinforce their rebounding and attacking without turnovers.
“You have to win the turnaround (to tonight’s game) in the shorter time than theirs,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “Our guys will handle it well. … I’d rather do that than sit around and wait forever.”
After allowing opponents an average of 21.8 points off turnovers in the previous five games, Ganot altered the starting lineup against UC San Diego, notably with freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor at point guard.
The ’Bows turned the ball over four times ahead of the first media timeout. Displaced starters Ryan Rapp and Kody Williams came off the bench to spark a first-half surge. Ganot conceded the ’Bows are “searching” for lineups that avoid inconsistencies.
“There are certain things we cannot allow in our program,” Ganot said. “We’re going to start playing the guys who take care of the ball better. … We need guys to be locked in. We’re going to start to play guys who are locked in.”
In last month’s game against CSUF, the ’Bows dominated the boards (32-20), held the Titans to 4-for-18 shooting on 3s, and made 36 of 38 free throws, including the final 12. The Titans made 20 of 27 free throws.
“You can’t leave the amount of points at the free-throw line that we did the first time around,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to shoot at a much higher clip, especially when you’re on your home turf to an opponent like Hawaii.”
The Titans had to reboot after losing last season’s starting backcourt (DJ Brewton, Max Jones), center (Vincent Lee), top defender (Tory San Antonio) and best outside shooter (Grayson Carper).
Because of inconsistency with CSUF’s deep shooting (27.5% on 3s), opponents have packed the lane this year. But posts Kendrick De Luna and Zachary Visentin have played well in the paint recently, and 6-2 guard Donovan Oday is an aggressive scorer on drives (52.9% on 2-point shots in league games) while grabbing a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game.
The Titans are 1-9 at the halfway point of the Big West season. But they have had strong finishes in recent years, reaching the Big West Tournament’s championship game in four of the past six seasons. Two years ago, the Titans lost five of their first nine BW games but then won eight of the next nine. Last season, their 7-13 league record was hindered by a 1-5 start.
“The plan is definitely not to start slow and try to make a run,” Taylor said. “But that’s been our identity. That’s what we’ve been known for. That’s what we do. Hopefully we can do that this year. … But we are driven. Our program is driven by every single day getting better. That’s our mantra.”
